Okay, it's time to get to the nitty gritty. 15 Days left until I become an official Peace Corps trainee! I've been studying as much French with the Rosetta Stone program as possible. i've been studying a little bit of Moore as well. My mind is really getting its a$$ kicked! I'm just about finished with the things I think I need to pack for my adventure. Hopefully I don't go overboard! Now I'm just waiting for my airplane ticket to fly from Providence to Philadelphia. My first day of Pre-Orientation will be held at the Holiday Inn somewhere in Philly. I'm very excited as well as nervous to begin this new chapter in my life. I'm not looking forward to all the difficulties and frustrations that are waiting for me in Burkina Faso but I'll do my best to make the best of things and get through them. A whole new culture waits for me. Some many questions run through my mind...What do I eat? What will my job be like? How will the locals respond to me? Will I ever be able to contact friends and family? Will I be completely isolated? How well will I be able to pick up the language? So many anticipations.. So little time!

So I received my official Peace Corps INVITATION last week! (Delayed Post I know!) I will be serving as a Community Health Development Worker in Burkina Faso! I'm excited to take on this new chapter in my life (a bit nervous too, since change can be scary!) As far as I know, I'll be expected to learn and practice 2 languages: French, which is the official language of Burkina Faso, and MOORE, a local language spoken by the ethnic MOSSI group, which makes up a good proportion of Burkina Faso's citizens... I bought the Rosetta stone program to learn and study French. This program is actually amazing. I feel like I've learned more from this program in a week than I did when I took 2 semesters of French in college. There are no translations. Much of the program revolves around pictures. Although this program is expensive as hell, it's definitely worth it...... Now I'm just waiting for my staging packet for more information....

So I got an updated email from the Peace Corps Placement Office today.... It says...

Dear Peace Corps applicant,

Greetings from the Peace Corps! I am writing to update your status in the application process. Unfortunately, the original program to which you were nominated has been filled. This is not uncommon, as 1.7 applicants are nominated to every position available in a training class. Your file is now a priority file and your placement officer, xxxxxxxxxx, is looking for other programs that fit your professional skills and language capabilities. xxxxxxxx will attempt to identify programs leaving in the upcoming month or two, and there are programs leaving every month of the year, but as always we ask you to remain as patient as possible with your departure date.

We must notify you at least 6 weeks before your program departs, so rest assured that you will have ample time to make arrangements prior to leaving.

Please allow xxxxxxxxx 2 weeks to review your application and attempt to identify another program for you. If you have not heard from her in 2 weeks, feel free to contact her at xxxxxxxxxx@peacecorps.gov requesting a status check.

Okay....So it may be possible that many of us September nominees will have to wait and be pushed back to October or November. Is this a big deal? Yes and no......On the positive side, I'll get to spend more time with my family and pay off some pesky bills...On the negative side, I'll have to wait a little longer to start my adventure with fellow PCVs from different parts (pahts as we like to say here in Mass) in my eventual country of service... Does the Peace Corps budget setbacks bother me? Absolutely..... Why is it that the f******* military gets all this money from Congress while the Peace Corps allocates less than what the military spends in one day and is still struggling for survival? I'm sick and tired of political leaders telling me that my life is in consistent danger and we need to spend all of our hard earned money on attacking unknown terrorists in unknown lands... What is the true definition of a terrorist? What constitutes a terrorist? Someone who is objective of our foreign policy and goes to extreme measures to try to change it? We need to spend more public money on public programs... The best policy in transforming a negative society into a positive one is EDUCATION. College is far too expensive for the average joe (including me) to attend..... Why is it that the military can obtain a million dollar helicopter with no ands, ifs, or buts while at the same time I can't receive affordable education to help enrich American society??? The United States needs to focus on helping other countries instead of attacking them....We need to change our foreign policy... We need to be adjustable...and we need to be self-righteous while doing it...

I had a dream last night that I've received my invite in the mail heading for Africa... However, I woke up from fantasyland and reality smacked me in the face... Is the application process the most difficult thing endured by a PCV throughout the entire duration of their service.. I'd like to think so! This process has cost me thousands of dollars! (mostly dental) Will it be worth it in the end? HELL YEAH! I'm very excited (and nervous) to begin my service in Africa! As far as I know, I'm a community services volunteer doing God knows what in God knows where... But it'll definitely be an experience that stick with me for a long time! I'm ready, no....All of us future PCVs are ready....for hell of a ride!

Well today as of 3:00 pm, I've received notice that I've been dentally cleared, so I hope!. Good news for me because it means I'm one step closer to my goal as a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in sub-Saharan Africa in September. What a long and stressful process this has been! So many things have happened to me in the last year that it's been a wild ride. Hopefully when the gun smoke clears, I'll be on a plane heading to Africa real soon! Still haven't received my official invitation yet but hopefully it'll arrive soon enough.